Christa Kinde

Genres:

Children's

,

Speculative

Head in the clouds. Feet on the ground. Heart in the story. Christa Kinde is a cheerful homebody whose imagination takes her new places with every passing day. Making her home between misty mornings and brimming bookshelves in Southern California, she keeps her lively family close and her trusty laptop closer. Christa has been writing for more than a decade, but The Blue Door is her first novel.

Q&A: Christa Kinde (The Garden Gate)

(May 2014)

For Christa Kinde, writing isn’t just a career; it’s a
way to help her teach her sons and daughters about faith and values. Her new
novel, The Garden Gate (Zondervan),
concludes her Threshold series and follows the story of Prissie, who is
suddenly able to see more than most mortals are capable of.

Prissie Pomeroy never gave much
thought to invisible things until the day she met a boy she shouldn’t have been
able to see. Koji claims to be an angel, and Prissie is stunned to learn that
there are others living and working in her hometown. None of these angels can
explain why she’s suddenly able to see the unseen, but with God,
nothing is impossible. Koji and his teammates answer Prissie’s questions,
change her perceptions, and strengthen a faith she’ll soon need … for danger
lurks in the darkness.

ONE THEME IN THE BOOK IS THE UNSEEN FORCES OF GOOD AND EVIL ALL AROUND US. IT’S EASY FOR A LOT OF CHRISTIANS TO JUST NOT THINK ABOUT THIS PART OF FAITH. IN FACT, FOR SOME PEOPLE, THERE IS A LOT OF FEAR ASSOCIATED WITH SUPERNATURAL BEINGS. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO WRITE ABOUT IT?

Fear and faith. Both make sense
when it comes to the supernatural. On the one hand, our faith is “being sure of what we hope for and certain of
what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1 NIV). Even if we don’t spend much time
thinking about heaven and its hosts, they’ve always been around. And along with
reverent fear comes fascination. We’re curious about these angels who’ve seen
the face of God. I suppose it’s that divine intrigue that led me to write about
the denizens of heaven.

WHY DO YOU WRITE FOR THIS YOUNG ADULT AGE GROUP?

While it’s true that I write the
kinds of stories I love to read, I’m also thinking about a very specific
readership. Our household includes five tweens/teens, and they’re my first
audience. Holding their interest. Challenging their faith. Shaping their
opinions. Stories allow me to skip the lecture and show my kids what’s
important.

WHAT DO YOUR KIDS THINK ABOUT YOUR NOVELS?

This has become a household
joke. I can slave over a chapter for days, and all the feedback I get is, “I
liked it.” But they aren’t always that skimpy. My lot has collapsed into
giggles, grabbed for tissues, and cheered for right choices. And more than
once, I’ve caught them rereading the books on their own. I can’t think of a
higher compliment than that.

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR BEST IDEAS?

Ideas sneak up on authors. I never know where or when I’ll be ambushed. But I’d
have to say my very best ideas come while I’m writing. Stories change
shape and grow throughout their telling. They’re unpredictable things. Dynamic.
Whimsical. And jam-packed with tiny miracles. In fact, my favorite part of
being an author is being the first one to find out what’ll happen next!